Chapter 5: Border of the Hermit Kingdom

"This is a crazy idea; I can't believe the director approved it." Miyuki said.

"Calm down Miyuki." Eren said. "It's a small recon."

Eren got his bags from the airport terminal, which were just two medium sized backpacks that he and Miyuki used. Eren and Miyuki were both dressed in jeans and collared shirts to more blend in with the locals. Though, in terms of looks, Eren could not blend in at all.

Eren and Miyuki landed in the Beijing International Airport in China, intent on heading to the Japanese Embassy to prepare for the mission. Eren submitted the information to the director in order to follow up on a potential border crossing between China and North Korea.

Unfortunately, due to the poor relationship between China and Japan, they were unable to get approval from the Chinese Government to allow for their recon.

Eren managed to convince the director to approve of the clandestine assignment because of what satellite imagery showed of the Chinese/Korean border. It was still fresh, at least a few weeks old, but there was odd evidence in the area.

Imagery showed what looks to be the site of some intense fighting in the city of Manpo, located in the Chagang province of North Korea. It was a city that sat right on the border of China and North Korea and would be one of the ways you would smuggle people in and out of the country.

The image quality was poor, so there was no way of telling exactly what happened, but there was evidence of what looked like a fight. Of course, Japan didn't want to tell China they were looking within their borders and China and North Korea refused to even mention the attack.

Eren justified this operation since if whoever did this damage managed to sneak into Japan, they had to find him.

"So, the imagery showed a lot of damage." Miyuki said. "Do you think it was organized?"

"No idea." Eren said. "We won't fully know until we see."

"Yea, it could be another guy like you." Miyuki joked. "A one man army."

Eren hoped that wasn't the case. He was just a man when he fought the Yakuza, a Titan would be a serious threat.

While this world was more advanced than his own, a single Titan would cause untold damage. Sure, the weapons of this world could easily kill a Titan, but since they never saw it and would never know the weakness was in the nape, killing a Titan was more down to luck than strategy.

Plus, it depended on if they could find the threat. If a Titan appeared in a city, it would take hours to actually have the Military arrive to react. Without knowing about the transformation, a Shifter could easily escape. Plus, no one would believe what was seen.

By the time they would learn how to fight the Shifter and use their weapons, a lot of people will be dead.

Which is why Eren needed to confirm if this was a Titan attack, or if this was a simple terrorist plot.

After arriving at the Embassy and double checking their information and passports, Eren and Miyuki got in a rental car and started driving north towards the border city. On top were some simple mountain bikes for Eren and Miyuki to use.

"This is exciting." Miyuki said. "I haven't really done anything like this yet."

"This is still your first job." Eren said. "Don't overcomplicate it."

"Right, no problem Senpai." Miyuki said. "Do international jobs normally go like this?" He asked.

"No." Eren said. "Mostly it's sitting in an embassy and doing paperwork."

"Well, that's annoying." Miyuki said.

"Not unless you go to somewhere nice like Rome or Paris." Eren said. "I honestly prefer a quieter desk job over fighting. It gives me more time to see the world."

"If you say so." Miyuki said.

A couple of times, Miyuki and Eren were stopped by police or checkpoints. They showed their papers to the police, showing that they were Japanese tourists on their way to the city of Tongha, a Chinese city about 60 to 70 kilometers from Manpo. Eren received some scrutiny due to his western features and they doubted he was actually Japanese, but a check in their database showed that he was listed as a Japanese citizen with a Visa.

Once they arrived to Tongha, Miyuki and Eren would have to get out of the car and leave it in the city and begin their long hike. They had their backpacks, which gave them the appearance of hikers or backpackers. If questioned, Miyuki and Eren would claim that they're backpacking around the world, a common thing that people do. Their bikes would also let them reach their destination in a short amount of time, making this a technically two day job.

Eren tightened his hiking boots to make sure they were secure, and alongside Miyuki, started making their long trip towards the city. Most of the roads were unimproved, meaning they were either dirt roads or very basic concrete roads. These locations weren't frequently traveled, so there were few people on the roads.

Anyone who did see Eren and Miyuki looked at them with confusion, since tourists were rare here. Even though they did draw attention to themselves, it wasn't bad since tourists weren't completely under suspicion.

Once they got one mile from the border, Miyuki and Eren hid the bikes in the treeline and went the rest of the way on foot. They knew they'd never be able to actually get close to the city since it was a countries border, but they could look it over from a distant and elevated position.

Once they got to a hilltop that had enough trees to stay concealed, but also gave a good view of the city of Manpo, Eren and Miyuki took out their binoculars and other optical devices.

"Kill me now." Ruby said to herself as she tried as hard as she possibly could to keep with the charging ox that was Reiner.

"I can't make it..." Kana complained next to her, both girls trailing at least ten meters behind Reiner and Aqua.

"Come on girls, if you're tired now, you'll be really tired after hours of dancing." Ai giggled as she intentionally ran slow to stay behind the two struggling but hopeful idols.

Ai stayed back since Kawachi ran with them too. As much as he wanted to keep pace and as fit as he was, his short legs made him have to push himself harder than everyone else and forced him to slow down. Ai stayed back with him to make sure he was ok.

"We still have one more kilometer to go." Reiner shouted back to them.

Kana and Ruby were drenched in sweat, feeling like they were going to pass out any minute from the exhaustion they felt. The felt as if they would be unable to go another step, but their determination helped to keep them running.

"You can say my sister is determined." Aqua said to Reiner.

"We're going much slower than I thought." Reiner chuckled to himself. "I guess I should have expected that. I'm surprised you can keep up."

"When my okaasan married my otosan, he helped to train me in how to fight and to be physically fit." Aqua said. "So, I'm used to a bit of jogging. Besides, I'm studying to be a doctor, so it's good to be healthy."

"Nice." Reiner said. "It sounds like a good plan. I hear doctors make good money."

"They do." Aqua said. "Plus, I enjoy helping people. Especially new mothers. I think that's the field I want to focus on."

"Why not be an actor?" Reiner asked. "Kana said you were good at it."

"Honestly, I have no reason to." Aqua said. "The one time I acted was when we were kids, even then I was kind of blackmailed to do it."

"Shame, I think you'd be decent." Reiner said.

"I don't think so." Aqua said. "I never even trained since I was little. Kana tried to get me to work with her on a movie before she did this, but I saw no reason to do it."

"She seems to like you." Reiner said.

"Maybe." Aqua shrugged, which was not noticeable since they were both jogging.

"Have you thought about dating her?" Reiner asked curiously.

Aqua wasn't stupid. He saw that Kana did like him. Which was weird since Aqua assumed she hated him since they were kids. But he was old enough to recognize the signs of a teenager's crush.

Which was what was weird to him. Aqua still technically was an adult, so the thought of dating a teenager didn't sit well with him. Kana was cute, and there were aspects that did genuinely attract Aqua, but he felt wrong pursuing that with her while she was still this age.

"Maybe when she's older." Aqua chuckled.

"She's older than you." Reiner chuckled.

"By a year, but not mentally." Aqua chuckled again.

"I can't fault that." Reiner said.

"Though, it seems you have your eye on my sister." Aqua said with a side eye glance.

"I tried, but you saw what she said." Reiner said. "I felt like I was getting stabbed."

"She is a bit of an airhead sometimes." Aqua said. "She didn't intend to be mean."

"I know." Reiner said. "It's not the first time I couldn't date a cute blonde."

"Watch it, that's still my sister." Aqua said with a small smile.

"Sorry." Reiner said with a chuckle of his own.

Reiner seemed like a decent guy. He was a good leader and confident in his abilities. Although Aqua was surprised by how he asked Ruby on a date, Aqua could say he saw Reiner as a good guy. If Ruby did accept the date, Aqua would still be worried, but he'd be ok with Reiner taking Ruby out.

The group finished the run at a park entrance, which was right outside of the studio they worked at. Ruby and Kana collapsed on the ground while Kawachi put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Ai was tired, but not out of breath at all since she ws used to having to run. She wasn't as good of a runner as she used to be, but she did stay slow to watch Kawachi.

Reiner and Aqua though weren't even breathing heavy. The run was so slow to them.

"Ok, we'll finish up some stretching and then we're done for the day." Reiner said.

"I can't move..." Kana said, only able to lift one hand up.

"I must be an idol; I must be an idol." Ruby repeated to herself, trying to remind herself why she's putting herself through this torture.

"Did-Did I do good?" Kawachi asked through pants.

"Really good, better than I did my first few times." Reiner said.

"Cool." Kawachi said.

Reiner led B-Komachi through some basic stretches and cool down exercises, making sure that they stayed limber so as not to get any injuries after their workout. Recovery was just as important.

"Alright, so remember that we have the fight tomorrow." Ai said.

"Yea, it's a Saturday fight. It's an international junior league, so it'll be held at a local college to allow for guests. It's also going to be my proof to allow me to enter into the UFC prior to me turning eighteen." Reiner explained.

"What exactly do we need to do?" Kana asked.

"You girls are just going to stay near Braun-San and wave at the crowd." Ai said.

"Seriously... that's it?" Ruby asked through narrowed eyes.

"We need to make a small introduction." Ai said. "And with Braun-San mentioning us in an interview, it'll get us a small bit of recognition."

"Ehhh..." Ruby complained, not excited about just being relegated to smiling and being pretty. She wanted to actually dance.

"Anyway, we should all head out and get some good rest." Ai said. "Arima-San, do you need a ride home?" Ai asked.

"I-I'm fine Hoshino-San." Kana said.

"I insist." Ai said.

"W-what about y-your husband?" Kana asked.

"He's overseas for the weekend. Work called him in unexpectedly." Ai said.

Kana didn't protest, still worried about how her husband would react if she didn't accept the offer. She really wanted to stay on his good side.

"I need to get some things mama, so I'll take the train." Ruby said.

"Me too." Aqua said.

"And me-" Kawachi tried to say.

"You're coming with me Kawachi." Ai said firmly. "You're too young to be on your own."

"Our house is one station away okaasan!" Kawachi tried to argue.

"Kawachi, in the car or I'll tell your papa you were not listening." Ai threatened.

"Fine" Kawachi relented.

After waving goodbye, Aqua, Ruby, and Reiner were left alone. Reiner said he needed to prepare for some things before the fight tomorrow, so he'd see them later.

"One moment Reiner." Aqua said.

"What is it?" Reiner asked.

"You were reborn, right?"

.

.

.

Did he just reveal our secret!? Ruby screamed in her head.

What was wrong with him! Who just says that? Now everyone is going to think she's the sister of a weirdo. Especially since he was the one always complaining about her being suspicious.

For Aqua though, it was a calculated move. He wanted to confirm his suspition and it would be easy. If Reiner was reborn, he should be able to admit it. If not, Aqua could play it off as a dumb and awkward joke. Better to be awkward than crazy.

"Reborn?" Reiner asked.

"As in, did you die, get reborn as an infant, and now living a different life?" Aqua asked.

"Please ignore my oniichan, he's probably dehydrated from the run!" Ruby tried to save face.

Reiner stared at Aqua for a moment. He looked as if he was contemplating something. It didn't look like confusion, as if he though Aqua's question was outlandish. He looked like he was concerned.

"If I said yes, what would you say?" Reiner said.

"Ok, don't play into his delusions!" Ruby said to Reiner.

"I don't think they're delusions." Reiner said.

"It's because my oneechan and I, we were reborn as well." Aqua said.

"Aqua!" Ruby yelled.

Ruby stood between Aqua and Reiner, looking at Reiner and trying desperately to fix Aqua's dumb mistake.

"Ignore him, h-he doesn't know what h-he's saying!" Ruby blushed from embarrassment.

"Ruby, he's like us." Aqua said.

"Nani?" Ruby turned to her brother, finally processing the turn this conversation took.

"So, you're reborn too?" Reiner asked. "Both of you?"

"Yes, and you are as well." Aqua said.

"That can't be real." Ruby said.

"Did you forget our situation?" Aqua asked.

"But... it's just hard to believe." Ruby said. "I thought were the only ones."

Reiner though, he looked like he got punched in the gut. As if he was relieved, for the first time in a long time.

"S-so, where were you both originally from?" He asked.

"Well, we both died in Japan and were reborn here. Ironically, I was reborn right around where I died." Aqua said.

"Huh... so was I." Ruby thought about it.

Ironic, she died in the same hospital she was reborn. She never realized that.

"You're previous life was... here?" Reiner asked.

"Yes." Aqua nodded. "Since you have more of an American accent, I assume you were originally from America, right?"

Aqua was confused. Reiner's happy attitude was suddenly replaced by a sad expression, like he was excited and then wasn't. It was a stark contrast that even Ruby raised an eyebrow at it.

"Yes, I'm from America." He said with a shrug.

"Wow, that's amazing." Ruby said. "So, you were reborn in Germany?"

"Yes." Reiner nodded.

"That explains your accent." Aqua said.

"Yea, it was hard the first few years since I couldn't understand my new parents." Reiner said. "But I eventually learned and am even fluent in German now. But I guess I still keep a lot of my original language."

"How old were you before you were reborn?" Aqua asked, curious about his previous age. Especially since it was obvious that Reiner had a crush on his sister.

Ruby was young when she died, so mentally speaking, she was still a fifteen, almost sixteen-year-old. It would make him uncomfortable if his sister was dating someone who was closer to his own age.

"I was nineteen." Reiner said. "What about you two?"

"I was-" Aqua was cut off.

"Oh, you never ask a full grown woman her age." Ruby giggled as she waved it off.

Just as with Aqua, she was terrified of another person learning her real age, in case they thought that meant they could bully her because of the age difference. Seniority by age was big in Japan, so she didn't want Reiner to automatically-

"I was thirty." Aqua said. "Ruby... probably eleven or twelve."

"Am Not!" She yelled, upset that Aqua revealed that.

How did he even know!?

"I believe you Ruby." Reiner lied with a small chuckle.

"Good, because my oniichan is a complete liar." Ruby lied as she crossed her arms and pouted.

It did make Aqua feel better. Reiner was at least closer in age to Ruby technically. He stopped mentally developing at nineteen, while Ruby is about to mentally be sixteen. So as far as the age gap, it wasn't so bad.

So, age wise, he didn't mind Reiner having a crush on Ruby.

"What about your brother, Kawachi?" Reiner asked.

"Him and Mikasa are both not reborn." Aqua said. "We asked when they were born, but no, they're normal."

"Mikasa?" Reiner asked.

"Our sister, Kawachi's twin." Ruby said.

"Gotcha, It's just weird. I knew a Mikasa in my previous life." He said.

"Was she Japanese?" Aqua asked.

"Well, half I think." He said.

"It's not surprising. Mikasa is a normal name here." Aqua said.

"I suppose." Reiner said.

"How did you die?" Aqua asked.

"Oniichan, that's not a good question to ask." Ruby complained. "It's kind of insensitive."

"Right, sorry." Aqua said. "I guess I'm still getting used to talking to someone else about this situation."

"It's ok." Reiner said. "Though, to be honest, I don't remember dying."

"You don't?" Ruby asked.

"Did you two die before being reborn?" Reiner asked.

"Yes." Ruby nodded.

"Me too." Aqua said.

"I honestly don't remember." Reiner said. "I was in a position where I could have died, but I don't remember an exact moment where I died."

"What is the last thing you remember?" Aqua asked.

Reiner thought for a moment, but he seemed scared to say anything. He didn't want to speak about his experiences and seemed hesitant to talk about it.

"You don't have to say." Ruby waved Aqua's question off. "After all, maybe it's better to not remember."

"I guess." Reiner said.

"What matters is you're alive now." She smiled. "And besides, you have to tell me more about America. Germany too."

"I'd like to, but you rejected my date." Reiner joked.

"True, there's no way in a million years I could date you as an idol." Ruby said as she brought her finger to her chin.

Suddenly, Ruby got an idea. She snapped her fingers and gave Reiner a wide open smiled. She got a bit closer to him, put her hands behind her back, and leaned towards him, making Reiner blush.

"Mama always said the old B-Komachi celebrated after an event, so we can do the same after the fight. That way, we can talk, and it won't be a date." She said with a smile.

"Sure." Reiner said with a blush.

"Then you can tell me everything about America and Germany." Ruby said.

"Except, Reiner wasn't born in America in this life." Aqua said.

"I visited a few times." He said. "So, I can phrase it as a visit."

"See, it's perfect." Ruby said.

"Well, I need to get things ready." Reiner said. "I am glad you talked to me about it. It's honestly nice knowing there are other like me."

Reiner had a genuine smile on his face, and it made Ruby feel bad for him. At least Ruby had Aqua to go through this situation with her, even though she finds him annoying. But she had someone to talk about it with. Reiner didn't have anyone.

"Well, we're friends now so you have someone now." Ruby smiled.

"Thank you, Ruby." Reiner smiled.

Ruby waved goodbye as Reiner walked away.

"Why did you tell him?" Ruby asked Aqua.

"The way he joked reminded me of how we did. So, I gambled." Aqua said.

"I see." Ruby said. "Who knows how many people are reborn out there. Very few people would come out and say it."

"True." Aqua said.

It confused him since only Eren was the one who directly came from somewhere, specifically another world. So right now, Eren is the only outlier in the four instances of rebirth. Though, Ruby still didn't know that Eren was also from another world.

Though Aqua was glad he gambled this time with his hunch. He always wished he gambled with his hunch on Eren ten years ago, since Eren could have helped with Hikaru. But lessons learned. He debated about sharing this information with Eren or talking about Eren's situation to Reiner, but he decided not to since it would violate each other's privacy.

Still, another reborn person. How many people had been reborn? It was amazing to see.

"Yea, there was a fight here, no question." Miyuki said through his binoculars.

The environment was a mess. It looked like the entire area was carpet bombed. There was a path from the river, through the city, and into the wilderness leading into the hermit kingdom that was covered in destruction. Apparently, North Korean forces reacted to the aftermath and had tanks and artillery pieces, as well as a number of Soldiers around the area.

There were even Chinese Soldiers in the area, though both sides stayed largely on each other's border.

"It looks like there was an invasion... but from the northern border?" Miyuki said. "It makes no sense. No way China would attack. Even then, they're helping to protect them. What do you think?"

"I agree." Eren lied.

Eren's doubts were starting to become much clearer. Eren saw battlefields and locations that were hit with bombs and artillery. Despite one hundred years of difference in technology, artillery and explosives haven't changed much, only in size.

"Miyuki, you took a course in crater analysis." Eren said. "What do you think?"

"I mean, it doesn't look like normal craters caused by explosives or artillery." He said. "Honestly, it looks like something came through here. There are drag marks, buildings collapsed with no burn marks, and it's all in a straight line. If I saw this in a movie, it looks like they went in a straight line."

The issue though, was that they were too far to get a clear picture of the damage. Eren knew that he needed to get closer in order to completely confirm that this was the work of a Shifter.

"Start taking pictures for evidence, I'm getting closer." Eren said as he stood up.

"Nani?" Miyuki looked at him. "Are you crazy? There's literally a brigade's worth of soldiers and tanks down there. Chinese and Korean. If you're spotted, you'll get caught."

"I need to confirm something." Eren said.

"Confirm what?" Miyuki asked.

"I need to see the point of origin." Eren said.

"What origin?" Miyuki asked. "Eren." He called as Eren made his way down the hill.

Eren assumed that if this was a Shifter, he tore his way right through, getting passed the border before the Koreans or the Chinese could react. It's likely there were originally no tanks or anti-Titan styled cannons when this first happened. Now, there was.

The Soldiers mostly had Aykem styled guns as they patrolled around. Eren knew now they were called AKMs since he now knew written English, but old habits die hard he guessed.

Eren got right to the edge of the city, still in the tree line that opened up into a wide-open field before reaching the city. In the center of the field, was the first crater that he saw that lead into a line of destruction from that point all the way into North Korea.

It was still a few hours before sundown, so there was still enough light to see. He needed to be in and out before a patrol noticed him.

Eren waited, spending the next hour or two memorizing the patrols and looking for an opening to get to the field. The patrols stayed on the road, but there was at least a ten minute gap where no one was around the open field. This would be his moment.

Eren sprinted out into the open when he saw a patrol car pass by the road, indicating the start of the ten-minute opening. The road was maybe 50 meters from the crater, so Eren had enough time to investigate and then escape. He needed to move fast because if they reacted, Eren would be screwed. Because they traveled through civilian means through Beijing, Eren didn't even have a pistol.

Eren reached the crater, which wasn't even deep. It was wide but only about as deep as his ankle. Infact, it was barely even a crater, more of a burned spot in the field. The grass on the edge of the crater still showed signs of burn marks, while the center showed nothing but dirt. It looked like any grass here was steamed or burned away.

There were also cracks in the dirt, as if a lightning bolt hit this spot.

Sadly, it confirmed exactly what Eren suspected. This was a T-

BANG!

Eren fell back as if he was punched in the chest.

Eren got low, knowing that he was just shot. He looked in the direction of the shot and noticed a few Chinese soldiers going up to him. He assumed they had orders to shoot any trespasser on sight. It told Eren that they did see something, something that came from one man.

Unfortunately, as much as you can memorize patrol routes, sometimes unfortunate things happen. These guys might have been on a longer route that intersected with his ten minute window.

Eren knew he couldn't run back to Miyuki. It would betray his location. In fact, if Miyuki was smart he'd start escaping since he could at least get the information back to Nai-

"Kah!" Eren coughed, spilling out blood.

He looked down at his chest, which was stained red with blood. He was shot in the chest and it was a lungshot. Not good, he only had a limited supply of air now since his body was going to only get half the air from each ragged breath. He also felt his damaged lung filling with fluid and had trouble expanding his chest with each breath, meaning his chest cavity was also filling with air.

"Damn." Eren muttered to himself.

A Chinese soldier walked up to him and started speaking in Chinese. Eren didn't understand a word. There was one more behind him, probably a two-man patrol, but more would be coming soon after the gunshot.

Eren stood up and raised his hands, offering the soldier his surrender. As the soldier got close, Eren reacted and ripped the weapon out of his hand. It wasn't an Aykem, it was a Chinese bullpup rifle that Eren didn't know. But it was loaded, something Eren knew due to being shot, so he could use it.

He shot the soldier, feeling a bit bad at killing a man doing his job, but quickly shot the other one.

Eren needed to escape, but in a direction that wasn't directly bac-

"Kah!" He coughed again, causing more blood to come out of his mouth.

His chest was in pain from not being able to expand and he was feeling light headed as he started to asphyxiate. He needed to get out of here and do some first aid on himself or he was going to die.

Eren started jogging slowly, following the tree line to the main road so he could take a different route to the bikes. It was slower and he was more exposed, but it gave Miyuki time to escape. Eren was better at surviving in bad conditions, despite how much training Miyuki received.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Eren fell down as he was shot in the leg. A patrol truck was driving by to investigate what was going on and it saw Eren trying to escape.

Eren got into a sitting position and took the rifle and shot at the truck, causing it to swerve away, but stop to allow the soldier to get out and move towards him.

The soldier started shooting at Eren, and Eren had to crawl behind a dead and fallen tree in the field in order to take cover. He felt bullets hit around him as they moved up to him in synchronization. It was the first time Eren fought more than simple criminals, so he knew he couldn't do much against trained soldiers.

Even if these guys were poorly trained, they still performed better than most common thugs.

"Damn it." Eren cursed to himself.

He got careless. He rushed too much to confirm his suspicions and now he was paying for it. Without his powers, he was done for. They had no intention of taking him prisoner. They wanted to kill him.

Eren cursed himself for being impatient again. He felt himself being reckless. He was so terrified of a Shifter being a threat to his family that he rushed in without thinking, again. He should have just left while he could, but he just needed to confirm.

Eren had a gunshot wound in his chest, and one in his leg. He was immobilized and slowly asphyxiating. He didn't know what he could to escape this.

Eren's main concern was his family. Maybe, if he did die here and there was a Shifter, it would leave his family alone since he was going to die. After all, why waste the effort? Eren died for the people he loved before, so this would be no different.

But... this was different. These weren't his comrades and fellow soldiers; this was his family. His children. Mikasa, Kawachi, Ruby, and even Aqua, though he never really saw Aqua as a son. His beautiful wife, the woman he loved more than anything.

He can't die here.

As they got close, Eren got up from his kneeling position and balanced on his bad leg. With expert marksmanship, he managed to quickly shoot the men before they were able shoot him. Despite these being soldiers, their training meant nothing next to Eren's years of experience.

A few bullets hit near him and even grazed him, but no one could hit him before he was able to kill them all.

The truck only had five guys, but there were going to be more. He needed to get out of here quick, and he knew he was running out of air. Eren was barely able to breath due to the air in his chest cavity crushing his remaining lung.

Eren took out his first aid kit, which had a chest decompression needle. It was a thick hollow needle that was meant to release the pressure in his chest, which is normally applied by a buddy due to the pain it causes. Eren popped open the cap and aimed the needle on his chest. Around the nipple line, under the third rib, careful to avoid nerve bundles between the ribs.

With a grunt, he pressed the needle between his ribs, puncturing the chest wall and into his collapsed lung. He removed the inner needle, leaving the rubber tube in. With a hiss, the air in his chest cavity was finally able to escape, allowing his working lung to expand.

Eren looked down at his bad leg. The calf muscle was severely damaged, but there was enough muscle for his leg to still work. Eren barely felt the pain, his adrenalin working to numb it.

Now all he needed to do was reach the bike, peddle to the car, and from there to the embassy. Then he can get actual medical attention. His only main concern now was bleeding to death, but he needed to address that when he got a chance.

He needed to get home and protect his family against this Shifter. With that goal in mind-

Eren felt a familiar feeling throughout his body. A feeling of electricity coursing through him, something that caused nothing but terror and horror to him.

Eren felt a lightning bolt hit him, and the familiar feeling of Titan flesh appearing around him.

Here's an interesting one for you.

As you can tell, this is that butterfly effect at work with Aqua's acting career. As long as he's not blackmailed or compelled by revenge, he never had a desire to act, so he wouldn't do it. Which is why he doesn't act with Kana at all. Needless to say, the movie arc is not going to happen lol.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy.